The end of this beautiful summer month is already upon us, and I for one, am sad to see it go. This month for me, included:
- Rekindling my love for swimming in the ocean
- Soaking up lots of sun
- Warm nights outside with friends
- Ice cream cones
- Taking lots of photos
- Experimenting with new recipes on food and drinks
What were some of your favorite, or most memorable things you did this August?
….. we have a wonderful park….. this is something that Anton and I are quite excited about, as these beautiful surroundings often provide the framework for our small expeditions during the day, when Anton feel the urge to lift his leg.
The park I am referring to is “The king’s Gardens“, also called Rosenborg Castle Gardens, and it is the oldest royal garden in our country.
During the summer, the gardens are the setting for a lot of music and theatre events and it is also regularly used to show different forms of art…..
….. here you can see a few photos of some of the artworks that they have on the program in these days…..
Quite funny, right?
Photos: private, woman-hood
….. in all of the cookbooks I own (and I have a lot), I could not find one single recipe for chocolate muffins? Not even in my favorite cake book “a piece of cake”….. Baffling!
I baked chocolate muffins before (I just can’t find the recipe)….. lucky for me, I had no trouble visiting the Internet to look for one…..and it only took me 2 minutes of internet searching before I found an appealing recipe. Anyway, this recipe came from the BBC Food site (just re-written my way) and it went down well with the whole family. I think the apple sauce is the reason these muffins are so juicy….. but try it yourself and see if you like them!
Chocolate muffin
Ingredients
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (optional)
Do this:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Add applesauce, blend well.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cinnamon, if desired. Add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 22 to 26 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle muffin tops with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve warm.
Enjoy
Lizzy
PS: if you have a good recipe for chocolate muffins (or another favorites muffin) you’re always welcome to post it on my blog.
øhhhhh 45th birthday! Forty-five. I still can’t believe it.
My wonderful husband and Anton are makin this weekend a really special one for me! I am so lucky to have such amazing, loving family.
Right now: I’m sitting, enjoying coffee…. while I’m surfing the net…..
This evening we are going to my favorite restaurant, together with our friend Tony, who is visiting from China.
Last but not least: thank you, dear readers, for all of your sweet birthday wishes as well! Every single one put a smile on my face.
♥ Lizzy
[image ann h.]
Have you ever dreamed of a true shoe wonderland?
A wonderful, whimsical place full of fabulous footwear that invites you to luxuriate in your unabashed love for stilettos, pumps and boots?
Well my friends, someone has taken that fantasy and turned it into a spectacular reality, and this dream come true is called ShoeWoo.
I was flaneur-ing NY in December….. around Lexington Avenue….. here I stumbled upon this incredible store at 750 Lexington Avenue on 59th (the third of its kind). I have never seen it before, but I couldn’t resist stopping by to check it out, as the incredible interior space and window decor certainly warranted some attention.
….. and not only is ShoeWoo a fantasy for shoe-lovers, it is unlike any shoe store I have ever visited. It is literally the Wonderland of footwear….. and I half expect to see Alice and the white rabbit walk through the doors.
The space contains two levels, with the ground floor hosting not only a column that looks like it is built with shoes, but a giant glossy pump hung high above shoppers’ heads.
Shoes from brands like Rachel Rachel Roy, Boutique 9, Joan&David, Anne Klein and Nine West are showcased in intricately decorated cabinets as well as on a revolving display upon which a number of shoes spin slowly in beautifully choreographed motion…… as if the rest of the store wasn’t hypnotizing enough…
Head to the back for more shelves of shoes in a beautifully decorated section complete with a velvet-covered chandelier. This is also where you’ll find the stairs to take you upstairs to the “attic” where you can indulge even more shoe shopping and get a birds eye view of the dreamscape below.
….. and Cartier in May?
Well, I got a last minute invitation to the opening of the new Louis Vuitton store, which , of course I had to decline (yeah right).
Anyway, I was in London, and while I was there, I popped by Cartier at the end of Sloane, to view their latest scope….. and these guys do know how to create the most incredible stuff….. and in May, they used real flowers for their décor inside…….and on the outside too.
Absolutely wonderfully….. but what happened….. the general public came along and tried to steal the stuff….. clearly, it’s the thieving west over there in London….. well hallo, come on UK….. these poor decorators properly already fight to get there schemes in place….. you should be ashamed for trying to undermine such forward thinking creativity.
….. until 2013…..
…..Don’t panic….. I’m not referring to the monolithic shopping destination based in Knightsbridge.
But it is ironic, that this famous department stores strap line is: “There is only one Harrods”.
Once….. a long, long time ago, there was a store in Argentina called Harrods ….. although this store has been closed for a long time.
This old store was opened in 1914, and is actually a branch of the original in London.
Any way, because of a period of great wealth in South America it is actually due to re-open in 2013.
Someone once told me: “anyone wealthy….. at the time when this store was open, sent their laundry to Paris because it came back smelling so wonderfully ‘fresh’” (although I may have made that up).
Well, any way, back to the story about the store: the site remains a sad reminder of faded glory, at least for now….. but how exciting is this? I really hope they maintain the character of the beautifull structure itself which after all would be one of the main reasons to see this store….. and I for one has added it on my list of places to visit….. and if you get there before me, be sure to send me some photos.
….. and as a last side note….. in the future, will Harrods new marketing strapline be “There are only two Harrods”?
….. balsam for the soul….. I think about food….. what else?
I found a little old cookbook with the titled “Good food in Römertopf”….. Römertopf….. how German is that?
Anyway it was subtitled “Cooking with archaic origin in modern form, flavor-filled with aroma….. light and healthy”.
We decided to test our Römertopf (Clay Pot) with a stuffed chicken….. and what a chicken….. it was the most flavor-filled and juicy chicken I’ve ever tasted….. but try it yourself ….. I am sure that you will be surprised how much flavor a chicken can contain and how juicy and tender it can become.
a chicken
salt
pepper
1-2 onions
1 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
40-50 g butter
fresh tarragon
dried tarragon
evnt. 1 dl grated cheese
Do this:
Moisture Römertopf (clay pot) in water 30 minutes.
Chop onions, garlic, parsley and fresh tarragon and crush bay leaf; stir it all together with most of the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour butter mixture into the chicken.
Place chicken in clay pot.
Brushes chicken with the rest of the butter and season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle dried tarragon over.
Put the lid on clay pots and place it in the oven.
Turn on oven and set temperature at 250 degrees.
After 45 minutes, lift the lid and sprinkle the cheese over, put the lid in place again and let it cook for another 30-45 minutes.
Tip: server the chicken with a green salad….. and the salad with a cream-lemon dressing….. I know….. it’s the ultimate grandmother dressing….. but it is superior with chicken and green salad.
300-400 grams green lettuce salad
Cream-lemon dressing
5 tsb whipping cream
4 tsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp sugar
salt & pepper
Guilt salad and brake it into suitable pieces.
Shake the dressing together and turned into salad just before serving.
Another good tip is: the Cucumber salad that I propose this Saturday….. is also phenomenal with chicken.
Enjoy
Lizzy
Photos, private, woman-hood
Today’s post on: Delightful People
….. and it was pure poetry….. the soft coastline in the delicate morning light, and the intense flavor from late blooming beach roses mmmmmmmmmmm.
What for some people would be frightening loneliness is balsam for my soul….. to walk alone….. or almost alone….. for there were seagulls…..
turtles……
sea people…..
and the wind, that whispers lovingly in my ear……
….. shortly the wind will be blowing sad whistles to me….. advertising the arrival of autumn….. but this morning….. it’s still summer….. so let’s enjoy it while it last!
Have a lovely summer day
Lizzy
…… a mind opened by wonder,than one closed by belief.”
-Gerry Spence
[Photo: mundo mudo & private, woman-hood]
And talking about opendminded….. I cooked this chili yesterday….. and it was fantastic.
It might be that you’re thinking ground coffee….. why coffee, but believe me, it brings something special to the taste….. it gives it an extra dimension, and makes it a chilli fit for kings and queens.
Chili (4 serves)
300 g minced beef
2 yellow onions
2 garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coffee
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can kidney beans,
1 can of baked beans,
2 cans crushed tomatoes
Salt & black pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 bunch thyme
1 sprig parsley
Do this:
Brown the meat and set it aside.
Chop onions, garlic, zucchini and peppers. Fry the vegetables along with spices and coffee in olive oil until it becomes golden brown.
Add the meat, thyme, beans and crushed tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar.
Finely chop parsley and sprinkle on chili before serving.
Tip: if you don’t eat meat, this chili is also great without it.
Enjoy
Lizzy
